


Midnight Snack

by OwlFeathers (AngelofAlderaan)



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Character Development, Cooking, Developing Relationship, F/M, Feelings, Fluff, Saiyans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25698508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelofAlderaan/pseuds/OwlFeathers
Summary: When Vegeta eats all the food in the house, he wakes a sleeping heiress and demands she makes him some food.  Set early in the three year gap.Just a one shot inspired by some events between me and my hubby (who seriously reminds me of Vegeta most of the time rofl!!!)
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	Midnight Snack

Since Vegeta had taken up what seemed like permanent residency at Capsule Corp., the Saiyan was well taken care of-clothed, fed, and given a place to train. He kept on reminding the family that the Z Fighters wouldn't be able to face the androids when they arrived without his help, so they did their best to keep him satisfied. Panchy was happy to keep plenty of food in the house for their guest, which suited the prince's needs just fine. Even when he was done with late night training, there was always something in the fridge for him to devour.

That was until Bulma's parents took a weekend to the mountains. Panchy made loads of food for the two "young people" before she left. However, what she didn't consider was that when faced with so much food, the Saiyan might chose to engulf most of it the first day of their departure. Which of course happened, and led to a rather desolate looking fridge late that evening when he came back in from training.

A raucous banging on Bulma's bedroom door startled her out of a hard sleep. Heart racing, she tore out of her bed, dashed over to the door, and flung it open. Her aqua hair was disheveled, the right strap of her tank top hanging off her shoulder, and shorts riding up one side of her bum. Seeing that is was her house guest, she relaxed and leaned against the door frame. "Oh, it's you." The dark prince eyed her up and down, evaluating her state. Suddenly she felt very exposed, and she quickly pulled up her shoulder strap, and crossed her arms over her chest to cover the low cut tank. "What do you want, Vegeta? What time is it anyway?" She glanced down at her watch, which read that was well past one in the morning.

Mimicking her pose, he lifted his chin haughtily. "There is no food."

The bluenette couldn't roll her eyes hard enough. "You mean you ate everything mum made already?"

"Everything in the refrigerator, yes. When will there be more?" His dark eyes bore into her.

Was he serious? "Vegeta, food doesn't just magically appear in there, it has to be purchased and prepared."

Pink flushed his cheeks and his eyes cut away from the young woman. "I...I know."

She shook her blue locks and chuckled under her breath. In the month that he had been there since his return from space, he had taken much of their kindness for granted. At first she had taken it as rudeness, but slowly, she realized that he really was just a spoiled brat. Even in Frieza's army, it was apparent that, because he was rather high ranked, he was well cared for. He had known nothing else, despite the fact that he felt like a slave under the Ice Jin's rule. Over time, she found herself actually growing fond of his quirks, even if they often led to arguments. In many ways, they were two peas in a pod. She came from what was the equivalent of royalty on Earth and lived a very privileged life. He was a prince, raised in luxury. Both were stubborn, smart, and had much expected of them. She related to him, better than anyone else, and because of this, regardless of how much he made her blood boil, she did her best to remain patient with him. When one is presented their flaws in a mirror, either they end up getting corrected or said mirror is smashed. Bulma was choosing to correct the flaws, and she had hope that he would do the same.

Pacing back into her room, she discreetly adjusted her shorts, and grabbed a pink sweater with her name spelled across it. "Well, there's no one to disturb, let's go find you some grub." She exited the room, pushing past him and heading down the hall.

A scowl filled his face. "What are you talking about, woman? I don't eat insect larva!"

She paused on the stairs, giggling. "No, it's slang for food. C'mon. Now that I'm up, I guess I'll have something, too." Flipping the lights on in the living room at the bottom of the stair, she padded toward the kitchen. Behind her, Bulma could hear him grumble something under his breath, but she ignored it. She began to rummage through the fridge and pantry, heaving a sigh. Both spaces were pretty bare. The Saiyan really had no restraint when it came to food, did he? In the back of the pantry she spotted a couple of boxes of fun shaped mac and cheese. She rolled her eyes. Her mum must have picked them up for her. Bulma wasn't a kid anymore, but Panchy often forgot this and thought back to her daughter's childhood favorite things. "Well, dear prince, it looks like we are stuck with boxed mac and cheese." She set them down before the Saiyan with a thump.

Skeptically, he picked up one of the boxes and eyed it. "Unicorn shapes?" He raised an eyebrow.

She snatched the box out of his hand. "Yeah, well beggars can't be choosers, buddy." He settled down on a chair at the island, to watch her. She pulled out the pot, strainer, milk, and butter, then pulled out the coffee maker to start making herself a cup. When he didn't move, she turned around to glare at him. "What, you not going to make it?"

Vegeta's eyes went wide. "No, you said you would."

Blue eyes narrowed, "I said I would find you food, I never said I would make it."

By now he was back on his feet, pasta box in hand shaking it. "How do you expect me to prepare this when I have never once used a kitchen save to reheat things in your microwave?" His eyes were wild, but his cheeks were flushed. Was that embarrassment?

"Wait, are you telling me you can't cook?" She threw her hands on her hips, skeptical. This alien had been across the galaxy, there had to have been a point when he had to make his his own meals. "What did you do when you didn't have anything to eat when you were off purging worlds?"

The prince threw his hands up in the air, "I ate raw meat of course, what else?"

The thought of consuming raw meat made her want to wretch. A repulsed look took over her face. "How did you not die?"

Vegeta thumped his chest. "I'm a Saiyan!" By now their voices both had reached peek pitch. The ridiculousness of this whole conversation suddenly hit her and her countenance went from disgusted anger to mirth in an instant. She bit her lip, but it didn't help. She burst out with a full force guffaw. He scowled at this. "What is so funny, woman?"

"This!" She pointed back and forth between the both of them, barely getting the words out. "I'm standing here arguing with an alien prince about cooking."

Features softening, he nodded slowly. He still didn't quite understand human whimsy, and clearly this response caught him off guard. "So does that mean you will make me something to eat."

Bulma reached over and scooped up the two boxes of pasta, laughter reduced to giggles. "Yes, I'll make you some food."

Guarded, he once again took his seat and watched her fill up the pot with water and set it on the stove to boil, then went back to making her coffee. Her back to him, she contemplated aloud. "You know, I could always teach you."

The prince raised an eyebrow as he observed her. "What?"

Facing him, mug in hand, she took a long sip. "How to cook. It's not terribly hard. It's actually a kind of science. Ingredients react with one another to create a new substance, which is edible." He sniffed dismissively in response, looking away. "Awe, c'mon! It could be fun. And then you wouldn't need me to make you food in the middle of the night."

Vegeta smirked, "Then what use would you be to me?" Was he...flirting with her? She brushed the thought from her head.

"Easy, I'm the one who upgrades your Gravity Room, and currently working on some other side projects for you. And if you want those things, I need to be at peek performance, which means the human girl needs her sleep, mister." She could see him processing this.

Eyes darted to the pot on the stove, which was now at a simmer. "So what are you doing with the pot?"

She waved him over, and tentatively he followed, standing beside her. The water had turned into a rolling boil. "I'm getting the water up to a boil. This will cook the pasta. Why don't you open the boxes." He complied and ripped open the tops. "Great, now remove the cheese packets and you can dump the pasta in." The shapes filled the pot, unicorns and rainbows piled up in the center as the boiling water reacted to them entering the pot. She reached past him and grabbed a large spoon out of her pot of cooking utensils next to the stove, the started stirring the items in the pot. "Now we stir the pasta bit and let it cook. Here, you stir." She handed him the spoon, and he tried. The spoon smacked hard against the side of the pot, nearly splashing scalding water on to the young woman. "Woah there buddy, not so hard. Like this," She placed a hand on his and helped him gently stir. Electricity shot through her veins at their touch. He shot her a look, but didn't seem to be upset, and for a moment they stood there, stirring the pot together. She had never stood this close to him before, and could feel the heat from his body radiating off of him. Were Saiyans this hot? She tried to remember if Goku was.

Finally, she let go and moved to the sink to place the strainer in. Why was her heart racing? It was just Vegeta. She closed her eyes a moment to shake it off. "Okay, now take the pot and pour it into the strainer." He took it off the heat, brought it over, and dumped it into the strainer. Had she been standing closer, she might have been burned. Boiling water splashed everywhere, including his hands, but he didn't flinch.

"What now?" He eyed her solemnly. He still had the pot in his hand, which she carefully took from him and set back down on the stove onto the other front burner, then reached over to the one that they had been using to shut it off. 

Snagging a butter knife from the drawer, she guessed the correct amount of butter in the dish and tapped it into the pot. "We add the butter. It calls for a half tablespoon per box, but I always just eyeball it." He frowned at this turn of phrase. "Oh, I mean guess. We can go over measurements another time. Mac and cheese isn't really an exact science." She giggled.

The butter melted in the hot pot, and she pointed to the pasta in the strainer. "Okay, pour the pasta back into the pot." He moved swiftly to dump it in, and she grabbed his hand before he had a chance to finish the motion. Once again, her whole body fluttered at the touch. His eyes met hers. "Gently." He nodded, and the Saiyan slowed down, the pasta cascading in without a hitch. "Great, now mix the butter in with the pasta." She handed him the spoon. This time he slowed down when stirring. Ripping the packets of cheese open, she dumped the contents in, and tapped the tops to get it all out. "This is the cheese."

The prince frowned at him. "That's like no cheese I have ever seen before."

Giggles escaped her lips. "It's hard to explain. It's 'cheese product.' So it has _some_ cheese in it. The rest is cheese flavoring. Keep stirring." Nodding, he mixed the powder in, and she reached for the milk and began to pour again. "Next is the milk. Technically you need thee table spoons per box, but like I said, I just eye it."

"I thought you said cooking was a science. Doesn't science require exact measurements?" He continued to stir, watching her screw the cap back onto the milk.

"Yeah, it usually does, but when you have been making boxed mac for as as long as I have, you know how do to it without it." Pacing over to the refrigerator, she replaced the milk.

As he continued to stir, he shook his head. "I don't understand, if you are a scientist, why not always use precise measurements?"

Bulma shut the fridge and came back over to observe his work. "Let's just say that outside the lab, I'm lazy."

"Tch, that figures. Saiyans never do anything half-way." She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off, "And Kakarot is not normal, do not go by him." He grumbled something about him not even counting as a real Saiyan and she suppressed a smile. Whenever she brought up Goku, he always seemed perturbed, but she knew that it was jealousy and a hint of admiration.

"Well, anyways, the mac looks mixed, so you're ready-" She couldn't even finish her sentence, he had taken the large spoon he had been using to stir and began to shovel heaps of macaroni into his mouth. "Hey, what if I wanted some?"

Pausing, he froze a moment, eyes cutting to her, spoon hovering near his mouth. Slowly he offered the spoon. "Ew, no, I don't want it now! It's all yours. Uggh you have no manners. Not even a bowl, geesh." The prince shrugged and continued shoving food down his gullet. Picking up her coffee mug, she padded over to one of the chairs at the island and took a seat. She leaned on the counter with her elbows, sipping at her drink, and watched him engulf his meal.

When he was done, Vegeta set the pot into the sink and ran water into it. At least he had the courtesy to do that, she thought. He shut it off and went back to the pantry, scrounging for more food. Of course. "Want some desert?" He froze. Huh, that was odd. She shrugged it off. "We have ice cream in the freezer."

Slowly he turned around. "That would be acceptable."

Smiling to herself and shaking her head, she hopped down from her chair. She emptied her mug as she went and placed it into the sink. "I think I'll have some, too." A blast of cold air hit her face, cooling her skin as she peered in to the freezer. It felt good and she wondered when she had suddenly felt so warm. It was the fall, and when she had left her room, she had felt a little chilly. Moving some things around, she found her target and pulled out two gallons of ice cream-strawberry and chocolate with peanut butter. "Sorry, but this tub is mine." She held the strawberry to herself protectively, and slid the other tub to the Saiyan. His eyes flicked down to the carton, then back up at her, watching her next movements. She fished through the silverware drawer, pulled out two spoons, slid him one across the counter, then found her seat again. Popping the top of the container off, she took a dainty scoop and started in.

The prince continued to watch her for a moment. "No bowl? Weren't you just upset with me for not using one?" He made a good point, it was hypocritical.

"You got me there. I always eat right out of the carton. I'm the only one who eats this, and I found that I over eat when I scoop it out. My eyes are bigger that my stomach." Once again, he looked confused at her turn of phrase.

"Humans must have extremely small stomachs, then." He opened his carton, and started to consume the contents.

Snickering, she shook her head again, "No, it's an expression! I means I took more than I could eat."

"Humans have a lot of expressions about eyes, it seems." He spoke between bites. He was clearly enjoying the contents, but this time, he was slower to take it in, listening to her.

It was a good point, they did have a few expressions about eyes. "I think it has to do with the fact that you can tell a lot about a person through their eyes, they say that eyes are the window to the soul."

He swallowed a large spoonful of ice cream. "You Earth people really worry about the state of your life in Other World, don't you?"

She nodded, "Of course, aren't you?"

"No." His voice was cold and hard. "I am well aware I am damned."

She bit her lip and thought about it as he solemnly continued to eat his ice cream, taking large spoonfuls. Since he arrived on Earth from Namek, she had seen a side to him that few others had. He wasn't cruel or wicked with her. Perhaps a bit harsh when arguing, but whatever he was in the past, this Vegeta was not the same. "Don't you think that you could be forgiven? That you could change?"

"No." He capped the ice cream and turned away from her, heading back towards the stairs. She watched after him as he strode away. Before he turned the corner, he paused and glanced back. "Thank you." The dark prince turned the corner and she could hear his retreating foot steps heading up the staircase. The Vegeta that arrived on Earth months ago was not the same one that had just stood in her kitchen, and the simple words of gratitude just now were proof of this change.

"I believe in you Vegeta, even if you don't. Maybe one day you will start believing in yourself, too." She whispered to herself. Putting away the ice cream containers, she set the cleaning robots to finish doing the dishes, and followed where the Saiyan had gone. They had three years until the androids arrived, maybe in that time he could find good within his heart that she could already see.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I have another quick one shot coming soon that my hubby is actually helping me write, taking on the character of Vegeta to make it very fun!


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